The Influence of Reformation Political Thought on Early Colonial America and the Thought of the America Revolution

This thesis examines whether a distinct political theory came into existence out of the Reformation and whether that theory, political Calvinism, had an influence in early colonial and revolutionary America. The thesis examines a wide range of primary and secondary source material to do this. The thesis finds that the Reformation created a distinct and well defined political theory and that this theory had a long-lasting impact on both political thought on mainland Europe as well as in England and the American colonies. This thesis attempts to raise the profile of the Reformation as a causational event in the American Revolution and in the development of American political thought.